[quote=it matters little the motives if something of worth and gain could be established from it. [/quote]

Exactly, when I first received The Satanic Bible from my fiance, I was so terrified of it that I wouldn't even open it up. I thought it was evil and all sorts of other bullshit. I even gave it back to him (I was still a Christian at that time) Time passed, I asked for it back, read it and totally and completely saw myself in it.

I think back now as to why I was so fearful of a book (more fearful actually of the information inside?) and now I can't help but smile and laugh at my foolishness and I continue to thank my fiance for giving the book to me.

It has truly opened up what Satanism is for me and I have works from some other authors as well as ALL of Lavey's books.

It was seriously a life-changing thing for me. My fiance said, "I have a book that will help you." and help me it has!

If Doctor Lavey could hear my or anyone else's story about how Satanism has positively impacted their life, he would know a thousand fold that his work was/is not in vain.

I have NEVER understood this claim that LaVey was in it for the money. Aside from the obvious fact already stated that there's nothing wrong with being materialistic (hellloooo: we're Satanists!), you don't need an MBA to realize that charging one-time membership fees isn't exactly the most lucrative move for an organization.

Ever join a gym? Or pay for a phone service? Do they charge a one-time fee for the rest of your life? Of course not. I've seen other organizations (Mensa, American Atheists, etc.) that have the option of lifetime membership for a price, and it's sure higher than a couple hundred bucks. My guess is that most of the people who complain about this stuff have probably never paid for anything in their lives that didn't involve a cash register.

And are people so dumb that they can't do the math here? Let's see: if you joined today for $200, then after being in the organization for 10 years, it will have cost you $20 a year, or about $1.67 per month. And it keeps on going down with each passing day. If that's supposed to be a scam, well then it's a really lame one. Of course, if Satanism is not something that you can imagine being a part of your life 10 years from now, then why even call yourself a Satanist to begin with?

Anton Lavey was not only creating a new religion, but starting a brand new organization as well.

Any organization in existence costs money to run and it states VERY clearly on the Church of Satan website that the $200 one-time membership fee is for administrative purposes.

Not one author has written a book "just because" since the dark ages. Personally I think the price of The Satanic Bible is worth every single penny. In fact it may may be a little under-priced considering:)